The Chautauqua County Legislature is back up to it's full compliment of 19 lawmakers after a long-time resident of Legislature District 12 in Jamestown was confirmed to the panel last night. Democrat Beth Kresge (Krez-gee) says she's excited to be part of the legislature after being approved 18-to-0 by fellow lawmakers. Kresge... who has not been involved in politics before this... says she's wants to help out a part of the city where she knows a lot of people... as well as the entire county. She's been involved with the community on a number of fronts. Kresge left a job last year with Keywell Corporation in Frewsburg to become a "stay at home" mom with her family's now first-grader. However... by working at Keywell... she's seen the county's problems with lack of good paying jobs... and, she wants to work to make the county an attractive place for young people to stay in. Kresge replaces Fred Larson... who accepted an appointment to become Jamestown's second, City Court Judge. She has already indicted she'll run this November to hold onto the seat against Republican Elizabeth Rankin.

County lawmakers last night approved a new, five-year contract with one of it's smallest unions... this one representing eight supervisors in the Sheriff's Department. The legislature voted 16-to-3 in favor of the agreement... which includes no wage increase for 2012... a $1,394 increase in 2013... slight increases above that to $1,477 through 2016. Sheridan Republican Terry Niebel feels the contract is a better one than they were looking at previously... but, he voted against it because he wasn't "comfortable with it...." However... Silver Creek Republican George Borrello said the eight-member Sheriff's Supervisor's Association was another union whose contract is subject to arbitration. He says going to that could wind up costing the county a lot more.. so he was voting for it. The President of the CCSSA, Tim Kindberg, thanked the legislature for approving the new contract.
Lawmakers say the new contract also includes some concessions by the union regarding health insurance benefits. In addition to Niebel... fellow Republicans John Runkle and Bob Scudder voted against the contract.

The latest "Operaton Impact" detail in the city of Jamestown has turned-up a parolee who was found with Heroin and marijuana in his possession... ready for sale. City Police were working with State Police on the detail Tuesday night... and, checked some bars and did home visits of persons currently out on parole. Officers say... shortly after 8 PM... they went to an apartment building at 303 Lafayette Street to check on 58 year-old Louis Rivera. They found Rivera in possession of the drugs... and, he was arrested for third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance... and, unlawful possession of marijuana. He was jailed pending arraignment in City Court.

A Stockton teenager is jailed on 5-thousand dollars bail for allegedly having sex with a 14 year-old girl earlier this month. Sheriff's Deputies say the unidentifed 19 year-old male was arrested on a complaint lodged against him in Stockton Town Court. Officers say their investigation led to the man's arrest for second-degree Rape. He was arraigned... and, sent to the county lock-up.

A number of exotic animals have been seized from a location in the town of Pomfret that has been called an 'illegally operated animal facility.' The State Department of Environmental Conservation's Lisa King says that the animals were seized Wednesday afternoon from the "All Living Things" facility on Webster Road after a search warrant had been issued. She adds the animals that were seized from Forster's facility included an American black bear, a cougar, and a serval. King says a local animal rescue shelter is working with them to secure the animals... and, transport them to a new home in San Diego, California. It's the second seizure of animals from a wildlife sancturary in the county this year.

An overheated fan motor in a dehydrator is the apparent cause of a fire that damaged the bottom floor of a spice-making business in a barn in the town of Busti. Busti Fire Chief Mike Volpe says they, and several other mutual aid companies, were able to make a good stop on the blaze to prevent heavy damage to the entire building. Firefighters were called to the scene at 43-57 Cowing Road -- near the intersection with Big Tree-Sugar Grove Road -- shortly before 9 PM. Volpe says they called in mutual aid from Lakewood... Panama... Ashville... Kiantone... Frewsburg... Chautauqua... and, Lander and Sugar Grove from Pennsylvania. He says the firefighting effort "went well." There were no injuries were reported. Crews were at the scene until about 1 o'clock Wednesday morning.